The present invention relates to internet website directories and more particularly to dynamically user generated internet search directories based on prioritized server-sided user bookmarks.
The World Wide Web was initially developed at CERN, which is a particle physics laboratory based in Geneva in Switzerland. The initial work began in 1989 and centered on the development of the HyperText Transmission Protocol (HTTP), which is a network protocol for requesting and transmitting web files and documents which both web servers and browsers can understand. By December 1990, CERN had developed a web server, a text-based browser and a browser for NExTStep computers. In March 1991, the software for the text based browser was made available to a limited audience. In January 1992, an updated version of the browser (version 1.1) was made freely available on the Internet. By January 1993, there were 50 web servers in existence and freely available graphical browser software had been made available for the Apple Macintosh. By February 1993, the World Wide Web was accounting for 0.1 percent of all Internet traffic.
One factor in the rapid acceptance and growth of the World Wide Web was the work done at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in the USA. Their Software Development Group created a graphical web browser called Mosaic. In September 1993, they released versions of this software for Microsoft Windows running on PCs, Apple Macintoshes and Unix computers running X Windows. Each of the versions looked at and handled files in a very similar manner with images and text interspaced in the same document, allowing organizations to create visually exciting documents that could be viewed in very similar formats on the three main types of computer in use at that time.
Many members of the team who developed the original versions of Mosaic now work for Netscape Communications Corporation, a company which has developed the Netscape Web browser, which was estimated to account for around 70 percent of all the Web browsers in use in May 1995. Following Netscape, Microsoft launched a range of Internet browsers and servers.
A directory is, in general, an approach to organizing information, the most familiar example being a telephone directory. On the World Wide Web, a Internet search directory (also known as a web directory) is a subject guide, typically organized by major topics and subtopics. There are many Internet search directories, from the mega search directories such as Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) and Lycos (www.lycos.com) with millions of links to small niche directories such as South Asia Milan (www.samilan.com). These directories are structured as a multilevel tree of categories and subcategories, with website links, titles and possibly descriptions within subcategories, usually at the xe2x80x9cleaf nodesxe2x80x9d (final level subcategories).
There are several shortcomings with the implementations of such types of search directories. A web directory is typically compiled by listing any and all sites submitted for inclusion under a category by their webmaster. Quality assurance relating to the usefulness of a site to a visitor is usually either largely skipped or handled cursorily by the web directory administrator. Also, users of such directories are restricted to the categorization set once and for all by the webmaster. Because of this, users wishing to add sites to such directories are unable create their own custom category under which to put a new site.
A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for generating a prioritized network site directory. A link to a site on a network is generated. The site is then added to a site directory that includes a set of categories. The site is categorized into one of the categories of the site directory. The site is also ranked in the category.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the addition of the site to the site directory may also require the comparing of the site to pre-existing sites in the site directory and then generating a notification if the site matches one of the pre-existing sites of the site directory. In another embodiment of the present invention, categorizing of the site into one of the categories of the site directory may also include generating a table of sites where pre-existing site are ranked in the set of categories of the set directory and then determining whether the site exists in the table of sites. If the site already exists in the table of sites, the site may then be mapped to one of the categories of the set of categories. Further, if the site does not exist in the table of sites, the site may be searched for keywords relating to the categories of the set of categories.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, categorization of the site into one of the categories of the site directory may also include the selecting one of the categories into which the site is to be categorized and then comparing the selected category to the category to which the site is mapped. If the selected category does not match the category to which the site is mapped, then a notification may be generated.
In an aspect of the present invention, the site may be ranked in the category according to: the number of generated links to the site, the frequency that the site is accessed by selection of the generated links, and/or polling. In another aspect of the present invention, a mode of communication may be associated with one or more of the categories of the site directory.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a sub-category may be created into which the site is categorized under one of the categories of the site directory. An added option to this embodiment, a creator identity may be assigned to the sub-category that includes information about a creator of the sub-category. In such an option, the creator of the sub-category may further be granted privileges such as recommending to accept or reject additional sites into and additional sub-categories under the sub-category, receiving information transmittals from users of site in the sub-category, and transmitting information to users of sites in the sub-category.